Ahmadinejad, Putin to hold talks at Kremlin

Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) meets with Russian President Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin on Monday, July 1, 2013

Press TV-(Tue Jul 2, 2013) Iran’s President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is scheduled to hold talks with his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin at the Kremlin.

The much anticipated talks between the two leaders is to take place Tuesday at 2:00 p.m. local time at the Russian presidential palace, where the two sides are expected to discuss important regional and international developments as well as bilateral issues, IRNA reports, citing Iranian presidential aide Ali Saeedlou. President Ahmadinejad also plans to meet with Russian scholars and elites later on Tuesday, the second day of his visit to Moscow. The upcoming talks between Putin and Ahmadinejad have received wide coverage in Russian media in recent days. Iran and Russia share common views on the crisis in Syria, supporting the government of President Bashar al-Assad in face of threats by Western powers and their regional allies to expand their military support for the foreign-backed Takfiri militants in the country. During the first day of his visit to Moscow on Monday, the Iranian president addressed the 2nd Summit of the Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF). Ahmadinejad urged gas producers to define pricing mechanisms that are fair and appropriate for this vital energy source. “Clear pricing mechanisms for different types of gas should be defined, approved and jointly implemented,” President Ahmadinejad stated. “Fair price and supply of different sources of energy especially gas will tackle inequalities and prepare the grounds for the elimination of opportunism and dominance,” he added. The Iranian president further emphasized that some countries are trying to seize the world’s mines and resources and impose their desired prices on the global market through unilateral sanctions and political pressure. He then noted that GECF countries are in possession of huge resources of energy, particularly gas, and called for “global and targeted collaboration” to restore their nations’ rights. President Ahmadinejad also addressed Iranian residents of Moscow in a Monday night event, insisting that as historic neighbors, “Iran and Russia cannot be enemies,” and calling for expansion of ties between the two nations to the “highest level.” The Iranian president arrived in Moscow on Monday to partake in the 2nd GECF summit. The GECF, whose first ministerial meeting was held in Tehran in May 2001, is an intergovernmental organization comprising 13 of the world’s leading natural gas producers, namely Algeria, Bolivia, Egypt, Equatorial Guinea, Iran, Libya, Nigeria, Oman, Qatar, Russia, Trinidad and Tobago, the United Arab Emirates and Venezuela. The observer states include Kazakhstan, Iraq, the Netherlands and Norway.